Gravity Haus Team Series: Erin Bradley, Unravel Breckenridge Cafe Manager

Q. What is your role for Unravel Coffee?

A. I’m the Cafe Manager for Unravel Coffee in Breckenridge inside Gravity Haus! I oversee all of our coffee operations: from roasting our coffees to their specific flavor profiles, hiring and training our baristas to become coffee connoisseurs. We also support Cabin Juice upstairs for breakfast, lunch, and that mid-afternoon pick me up (try the matcha).

Q. How did you land in Summit County? 

A. I’m originally from Flower Mound, TX but moved to Durango and then I eventually moved back to Texas, but knew that Colorado would one day call me back.

Q. When and how did you get started in the coffee industry?

A. Back in Texas, one of my best friends in high school introduced me to specialty coffee! He was working at a small local shop where we grew up. I realized then from visiting him (frequently) there that I loved coffee and so I started working there too!

Q. Your desert island coffee order?

A. Drip coffee, maybe with some oat milk. I like to keep it classic, I grew up drinking no-frills black coffee with my dad. 

Q. What’s the weekly roasting process in Breckenridge?

A. The profiles for each roast are created at our flagship location at Virginia Village in Denver. These are then uploaded to our app so we can access them in Breck (so cool!). We then roast green coffee in small batches (5 pounds), it makes the lobby area smell absolutely wonderful. On average I’d say we roast about 200 pounds of coffee per month!

Q. Tips for stepping up your coffee game at home?

1. A good grinder is always a great place to start! Grind size affects how long the water is in contact with each ground. If the grind size is too big, the water passes through too quickly and under extracts your coffee (too watery or sour!) and if it’s too small it will over extract your coffee (really bitter and way too dry of a finish!). 
2. Water quality is SO important. Tap water has minerals in it that can calcify your equipment (no thanks!). If you’re not sure if the water you’re using is good quality – use filtered water from the store!

Q. When you’re not at Unravel, where can we find you?

A. Anywhere outside! Winter – riding at Breck mountain or at the climbing gym in Silverthorne. Summer – climbing outside, mountain biking. Let’s explore!